The present invention relates to fluid pumps in general, and more particularly to air pumps for use in the aeration and filtration of water in an aquarium.
Air pumps of the foregoing type normally comprise a driven pump element for drawing air through a pump inlet into an internal pumping chamber and for expelling air under pressure from the pumping chamber through a pump outlet. Aquarium pumps are used for pumping air at a relatively low pressure and flow rate into aquarium water to aerate the water to sustain aquatic life and to cause a flow of aquarium water through an aquarium filter for filtration of the contaminated aquarium water.
Since an aquarium is typically located in a home environment it is desirable that a pump for aquarium water aeration and filtration be designed for quiet and safe operation. Moreover, it is also desirable that such a pump be extremely waterproof due to its position near the aquarium tank, in order to prevent the pumping unit positioned inside the pump housing from being damaged by water which may be siphoned back from an aquarium tank through the air delivery line which extends from the pump to the tank.
Furthermore, it is also desirable to provide a pump with interchangeable structural components to make the pump easily and quickly repairable, even by the owner.
Electromagnetic air pumps in which flexible pumping diaphragms are reciprocated by an electromagnet motor have been known and disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,154,559 and 4,170,439. The conventional air pumps of the foregoing type still produce a great deal of noise, and there has been need for the aquarium air pump in which pump vibrations are further absorbed.